This dinner is proof that kids often mimic their parents eating habits AND you can actually expose them to different cuisines, just by what you eat!
I don’t care what my husband and I might be eating… if a kid spots us, it’s game on. They are all up in our food-business sniffing, touching then eventually, sampling. We could be eating spinach salad (which has happened) and we’ll get “Oh! What’s that?! Smells good. Spinach salad? Oh I LOVE spinach. Can I try a bite?”
Inadvertently, they end up acquiring a taste for certain healthy foods just by sampling OUR food and NOW… they actually request it!
That’s how this little dinner came about.
My husband and I order sushi take-out frequently and as soon as our tiny vultures get a visual of our sushi-spread… they want in.
They love seaweed as a snack, so when they noticed the familiar seaweed, wrapped around some rice, they were eager to try it. They left any fish on the plate, but surprisingly they ate most of the roll.
That’s when I thought to myself, it would be fun to give *them* a sushi night. I could use some of their favorite vegetables and quinoa (since it’s the only starch I keep on-hand besides quinoa pasta and sweet potatoes), and see how they’d like it.
I started by cooking 2 cups of quinoa. I typically serve quinoa to my kids as a side-dish to a meal. I just put a little olive oil, sea salt and fresh lemon juice on top and they devour it.
I seasoned the quinoa for the sushi rolls that way and then, (with fingers crossed) went to rollin’.
I used regular nori sheets and put about 3/4 cup of the cooked quinoa on the lower third of the sheet.
I chopped up two carrots, one whole avocado and half of a cucumber.
I ended up using just half of one carrot, a-fourth of a cucumber and half of the avocado on ONE nori sheet, layering each veggie on top of the quinoa. I wasn’t sure how well the quinoa would hold up, but it seemed tacky enough as if it would work!
Right before rolling I also wet the top of the nori sheet (the opposite end of the veggies) with water and then rolled it up by hand.
I used a serrated knife to slice the rolls which worked perfectly. I divided the roll up evenly and got about 5 individual rolls out of one sheet.
I repeated the process with another nori sheet, making 10 rolls total.
The result… a cute little vegetable-filled quinoa sushi roll that’s perfect for the kiddos. It has just the right amount of quinoa and vegetables, so that it’s easy for kids to consume.
It also has just the right amount of seasoning. Most kids don’t like heavy sauces and bold flavors, so the little bit of lemon juice and olive oil on the quinoa keeps it light in flavor.
I served the rolls plain, with no dipping sauce, but you could easily serve it with some soy sauce, or make a mix of tahini, water and honey for a sauce… whatever floats your kids’ boat.
I made a meal out of the rolls by pairing it with a side of lemon-quinoa and some organic vegetable pot-stickers that I had picked up at Costco and dinner was complete!
They had a meal that’s loaded with fiber and protein found in the quinoa, vitamins in the veggies, minerals in the nori sheet and good-fat infused avocado. The pot stickers added some additional vitamins as well, since it’s filled with veggies. Overall, a very balanced, healthy meal.
I couldn’t believe it, but my kids ate every bite of it. It was a win for them, but also for me since it was so easy to make.
Sushi for kids for dinner? Sure thing!
Quinoa Veggie Sushi Rolls Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 c. cooked quinoa
the juice of one lemon (to season quinoa)
a dash of pink himalayan sea salt (to season quinoa)
2 nori sheets
1 medium sized avocado
2 carrots
1 cucumber
*optional- 3 cups of vegetable broth to cook quinoa in which adds additional flavoring.
Directions:
- Cook 1 & 1/2 cups of quinoa according to instructions. *Note- you can either cook quinoa in water or vegetable broth for more flavor. Quinoa does swell up in size, so you will have some quinoa left over. Set quinoa aside so it can cool, then lightly season it with the juice of one lemon and a couple of dashes of sea salt. Season to taste!
- Chop up your vegetables. Peel two carrots, then julienne them. Peel one cucumber, cut it in half and julienne one-half of the cucumber. Cut avocado in half, remove pit, then cut into vertical strips, use a spoon to scoop out avocado flesh and discard the skin. Place veggies onto a cutting board.
- Grab a nori sheet. Place 3/4 c. of quinoa onto the lower third of the nori sheet, pack it lightly with the back of the spoon. Layer on your vegetables (as much as you’d like) starting with the carrot, then cucumber, then avocado. It’s okay to have vegetables sticking outside of the nori sheet too.
- Lightly wet the top of the nori sheet. Wet your finger under cold water and then dab along the top of the sheet until sheet is moist.
- Roll nori sheet, by hand, starting at the bottom where the quinoa is, make a fold over, tuck ingredients inside sheet firmly and commit to rolling quickly.
- Once rolled, use a serrated knife and cut rolls into desired thickness.
- Serve immediately.
~Yields 10 sushi rolls
*NOTES*
*When making sushi for adults, cover the entire nori sheet with quinoa and put vegetables just on the lower third portion. It’s a little heartier that way.
* You will have plenty of ingredients leftover to make additional rolls. Just chop up the rest of your veggies.
